Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have had a good start to their season, winning three out of five matches. They slipped to defeat in their last game against Delhi Capitals, but will be looking to bounce back when they take on SunRisers Hyderabad at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Friday. KKR have most of their bases covered, but could end up making a few changes, with Aaron Finch available now and Ajinkya Rahane not impressing since anchoring their chase in the season opener. However, bringing Finch in would mean benching Sam Billings, who has looked good so far this season.
Here’s our predicted XI for KKR in their match against SRH:
Ajinkya Rahane: While he hasn’t shown great consistency yet, KKR may stick with Rahane for a few matches more before making changes to their team.
Venkatesh Iyer: The all-rounder hasn’t quite found his feet yet this season, but has looked impressive in his last two matches and KKR will hope he can play a big knock sooner rather than later.
Shreyas Iyer: The KKR skipper has looked golden whenever he is at the crease, but has somehow not been able to convert his starts. However, given his quality, a big one is just around the corner.
Nitish Rana: Nitish Rana has not shown the kind of form that inspired KKR to bid big to get him back in the auction. But his aggressive approach means he is a key part of their middle order.
Sam Billings: Sam Billings has not yet got a big score, but has looked in good touch whenever he’s come out to bat. He has also been sharp behind the wickets and KKR are unlikely to drop him just yet.
Andre Russell: Andre Russell was KKR’s first retention, and he showed why with a match-winning blitzkrieg against Punjab Kings. KKR will be hoping for more such displays from the Caribbean all-rounder.
Pat Cummins: Pat Cummins has been in good wicket-taking form with the ball and shown that he can be just as deadly as Russell on his day with the bat.
Sunil Narine: Sunil Narine has been key in helping KKR choke opposition teams for runs in the middle overs, while also delivering wickets in regular intervals.
Umesh Yadav: The India pacer has been a revelation for KKR this season, emerging as a deadly force with the new ball. With 10 wickets to his name, he has been their best bowler this season.
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Rasikh Salam: The young pacer from Jammu and Kashmir has impressed with his ability to swing the ball both ways and has formed a dangerous partnership with Umesh Yadav opening the bowling.
Varun Chakravarthy: One of KKR’s two mystery spinners, Chakravarthy is yet to have the kind of impact he has shown for them over the last two seasons.
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